More User Reviews:

Pours dark brown, looking black in the snifter. The light brown head has a creamy look and good retention. This has a full and very smooth mouthfeel, but with some light heat fro alcohol.

The aroma carries the usual mix of dark malts and oats,with little in the way of alcohol esters, but with a touch of spiciness (hops?). The flavor also reflects some spicy hops but is dominated by dark roasted grains. Minimal sourness. Mildly bitter. Some chocolate with only faint raisins and vague dark fruit in the flavor.

Not knowing what I was buying, seems I lucked out. This is a pretty good stout! It has the rich malt, roasted, coffee, chocolate flavors expected in Oatmeal Stouts. The body is a very smooth, rich feeling, dense, creamy feel with little abrasion or harshness. The feel is certainly more that I get from any other Oatmeal Stout. Alcohols are nicely pronounced, reminding me that this is not my daddy's Oatmeal Stout. It has some kick. Finishes with a fruity, estery hint of fruits (grapes and berries), before a one last passing of sweet alcoholic strenth. It's what I like in Oatmeal Stouts, just more of it.

12oz undated bottle that has a dog on the label that looks like a less-shaggy version of my cousin-dog George, a Newfoundland the size of a pony, easily the largest dog I have ever seen. My first beer from Stoudt's.

Poured into a River City snifter, this was a seemingly black color that took on a more dark brown shade when held up to light. Big, creamy tan head that took it's time dropping and left lots of lace.

Initially, the nose was boozy and roasty, surprisingly so for something not barrel aged. As it warmed, elements of vanilla and licorice joined the usual suspects of chocolate, coffee and molasses for the style.

The taste was much like the aroma. Once things had warmed up, the initial hit of roasty, coffeeish dark malts was succeeded by a more complex middle that reminded me of something bourbon barrel aged, with a light, warming alcohol taste beyond what the stated abv percentage prepared me for.

Creamy mouthfeel, though the body seemed a little thin.

This is yummy stuff. It's the equal of it's local equivalent, Iron Goat's Goatnik, which is not bottled or distributed widely even here in town. If I had access to it, I'd drink it regularly. Thanks, Rob!

This brew is probably the best I've had from this brewery. This brew poured out as a really nice black color with a creamy looking brown head on top. The smell of the brew is chocolaty and roasted with some light sweetness on the nose too. The taste has a little bit of some coffee like flavors along with a sweet roasted malt character in there too. The mouthfeel is creamy, thick and dry in that order. Overall this beer is really nice. Worth a try for sure.

Bottled on 4/21/05 pours pitch black nothing showing thru even when held up to the light with a thin mocha head.Heay on the roasted malt in the nose with some bitter chocolate and underlying fruitiness the alcohol doesnt really rear its head,milk chocolate and deeply roasted malt dominate the flavor department with some alcohol burn showing up more as I drink more.Smooth and palatable for the style,quite nice.

Appearance  This one came out a very dark and delicious-looking brown in color with a deeply tanned head that came up sprightly and left some heavy lacing on the inside of my Chimay glass. The foam settled into creamy pits on top of the liquid, completing the presentation nicely.

Smell  The sharp sugars dominate the nose. The malts are dark and roasty but very sweet. Theres a good showing of alcohol in the bouquet as well. Brown sugar is the biggest smell that I can find, but the bitter coffee grounds and, to a lesser extent the bittersweet chocolate powder, are easy to identify.

Taste  Ah, this tastes exactly like it smells. The sugars are up front and taste like brown with maybe some cane mixed in. The malts are next and are very dark and bitter. The hops are hide to find because they are so well-blended. I can pick up just enough of the booze from the nose to make it fun.

Mouthfeel  This one is a tad bigger than medium-bodied and very well-blended. The bitterness is strong here.

Drinkability  I really enjoyed this offering from Stoudts, more so than most others seem to have. This is a no-nonsense ADS that will get your salivary glands working overtime.

Comments  Big thanks to garthwaite for including this in his awesome package of killer beers.

This Fat Dog pours a dark brown with amber hues round the edges. The head is not all that dark; I would say it's light brown. A elativy hard pour results in one-finger of dense head. Lacing on the glass is splotchy with lots of little boomerangs.

The smell is startlingly sweet for an Imerial Stout. I think that sweetness is attributable to the oatmeal. Wafts of cherries, sherry, and raisin are present and are supported by aromas of roasted malt, a touch of milk chocolate, and a little coffee.

A sweet tanginess is also the overriding flavor; again, I think this can be attributed to the oats. It is a very semi-sweet, grainy cereal taste that is accompanied by a sweet liquor and dark fruit flavor. Roasted malt jumps into the mix around the middle of the sip, and the finish is mostly dry. However, that cereal-like sweetness sticks on my palate for the whole tasting, and almost borders on tartness.

For an Imperial Stout the mouthfeel is quite light. It is not quite medium-bodied and is fairly nippy front the sweet tartness. Each sip leaves an acidic twang on the sides of my palate.

I'm not sure that I would seek this one out again. It is just a little too sweet, tart, and light-bodied for a high alcohol stout. It was an interesting beer, but not all the way up my alley.

First sip brings a wonderful, silky, creamy dark roasted maltiness accentuated by bakers chocolate, hints of bitter coffee, anise and a mix of dark fruits. Slightly smoky on the way down. The oatmeal imparts such a nice, silken quality to the brew. Some bitterness on the way down with a touch of herbal/citrus hops. A nice brew.

Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy with a healthy amount of bubbles. A very drinkable Imperial Oatmeal Stout that's damn tasty and goes down easily. Yummy stuff! Thanks to warriorsoul for the bottle.

Basically pitch black with a light brown colored single finger head which reduced to a thin layer. Not the usual thin layer only a bubble or so deep, but a true thin layer. This little touch is nice on a 9% beer.

Chocolate and coffee with hints of toffee fill my nose. A bit of dark toasted, slightly burnt malts in there as well. Definate notes of dark fruits and a slight aroma of bourbon alcohol. Dry oats in the nose as well.

Taste is semi-sweet chocolate in the forefront with a heavy dose of dark roasted coffee beans immediately following. Dark fruits come in next with hints of overripe plums. Finishes with a brief sharp bite of alcohol. The oatmeal in this one comes in at the end and literally plasters itself to your mouth and hangs in for a long time. This is how I like my Double Stouts to taste.

Mouthfeel is thick and creamy and smooth. There is a bit of sharpness due to some carbonation initially. Like I said before this one really sticks around. Drinkability is good. If it wasn't for the bit of alcohol kick the drinkability would be a bit higher.

This is an awesome beer and what I find to be typical of the style: strong aroma, full of complex flavor and a big body to boot. A must try in my opinion.

Roasted malt power. Wow, the finish is impressive, very coffee like. SOme initial coffee, biscuit. Some hops in there, kinda nice. I get the oatmeal smoothness, but it isnt pronounced. I get more ABV than Oatmeal. It is imperial ;). The alcohol teters on unbalanced, but is still quite nicely warming with the malts. The thick head wont go away!

Roasted malt takes this one. Sits well, as mentioned in taste, overall well balanced, though I think this might be the area for improvemennt.

Fruity almost banana-like smell mixed with brown sugar and a whisper of cloves. Roasted notes are present and there are little to no hops in the nose.

Taste is overpowered by roasted and even burned malts, yet the usage of oatmeal provides a nice, heavier body. A strong bite of alcoholic taste hits first with a somewhat acidic, highly dry finish afterwards.

Hardly any carbonation and alcohol leaves mouth feeling warm. High usage of roasted malts leaves a somewhat bitter taste in the mouth after drinking.

While not a session beer, its overly-drying effects ironically leave me thirsty for more.